Method and apparatus for processing and packaging in boxes tubular squeezable containers

ABSTRACT

Picking up in a positive manner from a feeding hopper in individual sequence horizontally positioned tubes, feeding them by gravity and delivering them, always positively held, to an element that from the horizontal pick-up position inserts them positively in a vertical plane with their open ends upwards in clamping elements on a processing line along which, advancing in increments, they are filled and closed and sealed in a conventional manner along the end thereof. Thereafter, synchronized with the incremental advance along the processing line, the tubes thus filled and end sealed, are successively gripped by transfer elements that insert them in preassembled boxes having their introduction opening facing upwards, at a packaging station, and there the tubes are packed inside the appropriate boxes with the introduction opening of the box being then closed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention covers a method for setting up and packaging inboxes tubular preformed open-ended squeezable containers and anappropriate filling and packaging machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

At present the setting up and packaging in boxes of tubular containersof the so-called squeezable type for more or less viscous paste productsis carried out in two distinct stages, in one of which the preformedopen-ended squeezable tubes are filled in series through their open endwhich is then closed for example via one or more folds of the terminalsection of the tube end, and in the second the tubes thus set up arepackaged in boxes that are either assembled or not. The undertaking ofthese distinct stages of setting up and packaging respectively on theequipment or so-called automated machines known today takes place on twodistinct separate machines with or without more or less automated andsynchronized devices connecting the two machines.

On these known equipment or machines the tubular containers or tubes tobe set up, advancing incrementally along the setting-up line of thefilling machine for filling from the open end and sealing thereof oncompletion of the filling operation in more than one stage, firstly forexample during the successive feeding of the tubes to said setting-upline, are free because released when going from a holding or control andtransfer element to a subsequent element, and also, again by way ofexample, as regards the stage of their packaging in boxes, wherebybesides a possible degradation of their characteristics followingcreasing or kinks that could be caused on their outer surface or skirtdue to the actual time required for the various operations, or becauseof other reasons, the working speeds are conditioned by output rates perunit of time that often are found insufficient and in any case limited.

Attempts to overcome the above-mentioned speed limits of the machines atpresent known and obtain a higher output rate per unit of time haveindeed taken place with machines with so-called multiple setting-uplines, with a plurality of individual operating units. Such aproposition for realizing machines with multiple setting-up lines hassubstantially suggested to dispose the operating units in such a way asto interconnect them to an appropriate control system drawing its powerfrom a single motion source. With these machines the output speed couldbe increased, but it is evident that for dynamic reasons it can never beincreased proportionally to the number of operating units adopted, thatis doubled, trebled, etc., as the reciprocating masses wouldconsequently be increased, thus reducing the unit speed and thereforethe overall speed. In fact, if with a machine with a single setting-upline having rotating and linearly moving elements with a reciprocatingaction it is possible to reach the maximum typical speed, or speed One,of products per minute, it is clear that the speed obtainable bydoubling said mobile operating units connected to a single source ofmotion cannot be doubled because the units added and their respectivecomponents, obviously dimensionally oversized, would in factconsiderably increase said moving masses. Furthermore, if in regard tothese machines with multiple operating units one considers also theproblem of simultaneous feeding, it becomes even more evident that onsuch machines the increase in output speed per unit of time can never beproportional to the increase in the individual units and how they willnever embody on a practical plane particular technical and economicfeatures that are advantageous in relation to the use of a correspondingnumber of individual conventional machines. The technical and financialbenefits that could derive from these multiple setting-up line machinesare evidently even less tangible on the practical-productive plane whenone considers that the above-mentioned structuring into multipleoperating units with a single motion source, due to the position thatsaid units in their respective individual configurations wouldnecessarily have as an assembly, limits the machine performance denyingit the character of universality traditionally appreciated in thespecific field of use due to the practical and financial advantagesderiving from the use of a universal machine with a single setting-upline.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The main object of this invention is to obviate said drawbacks byproposing a method and a machine operating in such a way as to makepossible the automation of such a method so that the tubes during theirsetting up and packaging in boxes are always handled in a way that doesnot subject them to negative strains as they are constantly held,protected and guided from the feeding stage along the setting-up line tothat of packaging in boxes that are either preassembled or not.

A second object of the invention is to propose a filling-packagingmachine able to work at high speed with an output rate of packaged tubesin boxes per unit of time considerably higher than that of the machinesgenerally known and used in this field.

A further object of this invention is to propose a machine in conformitywith the previous objects and such that the filling section can be usedfor setting up the tubes to be fed to a section of a packaging machinein boxes, self-standing, of any known type.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention, on the other hand, proposes instead to make available amethod and a filling-packaging machine that are able to reach a highoutput rate through a single operating unit, thus maintaining the mainfeature of the practical universality in accordance with the appreciatedfeatures of originality of the conventional machines.

In order to implement in a practical way such a machine the ApplyingCompany, contrary to the principle based on an increase in the number ofoperating units that, as said earlier, implies an increase in the movingmasses, relies instead on the opposite principle, that of shortening theoperating times and considerably reducing the moving masses. Followingthis principle, on the basis of the method according to the presentinvention, a machine embodiment has been developed with coordination ofmovement between kinematic components in such a way that it is possibleto have an exact distribution of the time-synchronization and a sensiblecombination of the functions so as to eliminate downtimes and be able toassign to each operation motion a dwell time strictly sufficient toensure performance of the relevant operation. The invention hassucceeded in this by going outside the traditional structuringparameters of such machines that, as is known, envisage the use ofreciprocating elements or, as has already been said, in an attempt toincrease the maximum speed typical of these conventional machines, adoptmultiple unit machines, in effect structuring in particular the elementsthat feed and transfer the individual tubes with a view to a positivefunctioning.

In fact, according to one of the main features of the method within thisinvention that enables the filling-packaging machine in question tooperate at high speed with an output of processed and packaged tubes perunit of time considerably higher than that of the machines generallyused in this field, it consists in picking up from the feeding hopperindividual sequence the tubes horizontally positioned before processingthem in a positive manner, rather then feeding them by gravity, anddelivering them, always in a positive manner, that is held, to anelement that from the position of horizontal pick-up inserts thempositively on a vertical plane with their open end upwards insidegripping elements on the setting-up or processing line along which,advancing sequentially, they are filled and sealed in a conventional wayby closing the ends thereon. At this point, always synchronized with thesequential advance along the setting-up line, the tubes thus set up,that is filled and end-sealed, are successively gripped by transferdevices that insert them in the relevant preassembled boxes with theirintroduction opening facing upwards, that have been fed, alwayspositively, again in successive sequence, to a boxing station, and arethen packaged inside the corresponding boxes by the closure of theintroduction opening.

Therefore, a major feature of the filling-packaging machine according tothe present invention lies in providing this machine with a hopper forcontaining horizontally positioned open-ended tubes to be set up, amachine structured so as to feed the tubes after picking them upindividually from inside the hopper through positive transfer devicesthat lift them from the hopper bottom, near one of its side walls, anddeliver them one after the other to the top of a conveying duct externalto the hopper that directs them downwards to positive clamping devicesthat feed them by transfer to the setting-up line, in a verticalposition, with their open end upwards.

Another major feature of the machine in question lies in the fact thatthe tubes already set up along the setting-up line are positively andsuccessive picked up from the latter in their vertical position, by thetraditionally flattened end, and directly inserted in preassembledvertical boxes with their introduction opening opened, according to apre-established desired position, with the flattened end parallel to twosides, or approximately following a diagonal line of the relevant box.

A further feature of the machine according to the invention lies in theparticular structural configuration of the packaging machine, inparticular the device that feeds the blanks and contemporarily forms theboxes, and in its typical configuration in the kinematic structure of afilling-packaging machine, capable of operating the machine smoothly anduniformly in rapid succession.

With a machine with the above characteristics of principle, and thanksto an accurate analytic study of the paths covered by the products beingprocessed, as well as the elimination of reciprocating movements ofdriven elements and in particular for feeding pieces to the setting upline, it has been possible to obtain an operational speed that isapproximately double that reached with the machines either known orproposed up to now.

Lastly, a further but not less important fact regarding the machineaccording to the invention is that it has been possible to constructsuch a machine with a particularly simple structure, easy and reliablein use, of long life, and above all also at a relatively economical costconsidering the high output ensured by it.

These and other aims and advantages, better described later, are allobtained with the filling-packaging machine according to the inventionfor the setting up and packaging in boxes of tubular preformedopen-ended squeezable containers for more or less viscous pasteproducts, a machine characterized in that it comprises a hoppercontaining horizontally positioned open-ended tubes, positive actiondevices for picking up successively and individually the open-endedtubes in order to feed them, again individually, to positive pick-updevices for their transfer to orienting and transfer clamping devicesthat move them, vertically and with the open end upwards, to flexiblegripping devices connected to closed loop means conveying them over ahorizontal plane in increments along the machine's setting-up line, saidtubes advancing along said setting-up line and successively stopping atstations that undertake a presence check, a cap tightening, a tubecleaning, a printing centering, a rejection of defective tubes, afilling in one or more successive stages through the open end upwardsand a sealing operation of the end in a conventional manner, such meansbeing suited to picking up blanks and at the same time form them intopackaging boxes with the introduction opening facing upwards, clampingdevices suited to gripping the sealed tubes by picking them up by theirflattened end from the said setting-up line and transferring them intoan appropriate box through the introduction opening with the flattenedend parallel to two opposite sides, or approximately following adiagonal line within the relevant box, and devices suited to close theintroduction opening of the box.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Further features and advantages of the method and the filling-packagingmachine according to this invention for automating the method shallbecome more evident from the detailed description that follows of apreferred practical embodiment given here purely by way of a example inwhich

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the apparatus according to theinvention; and

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

The method in question for the processing and packaging in boxes oftubular containers of the so-called squeezable preformed open-ended typefor more or less viscous paste products provides the positive successivepicking up of individual tubes from a hopper containing them in ahorizontal position in order to deliver them, always positively, held,to devices which by holding them transfer them from the horizontalposition to flexible gripping devices, in a vertical position and withthe open end facing upwards, for displacement along a processing line.

The tubes that have thus been placed in a vertical position and areadvancing incrementally along the processing line are filled throughtheir open end, in one or more successive stages, and conventionallysealed for example by folding their preflattened end area to create aseal.

The tubes thus closed and sealed are then picked up from the processingline by their flattened and sealed end and introduced inside acorresponding box that in the meantime has been fed, in a verticalposition, with its introduction opening facing upwards which is laterclosed.

According to the method in question the boxes can be set up during theprocessing stage, or can be picked up already set up with theirintroduction ends open. Furthermore, the introduction of tubes in therelevant boxes can be carried out with the flattened ends of the tubesparallel to two opposite sides of the corresponding box or with theflattened end approximately following a diagonal line of the box itself.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown by way of example apractical implementation of the filling-packaging machine for automatingthe method according to the present invention, the machine comprising anelongated bed 1 which at the left end, when looking at the Figures,supports a hopper 2 containing horizontally positioned preformedopen-ended tubes 3.

The hopper 2 has a bottom sloping downwardly toward the center of themachine and its right side wall, is partially defined, more exactly inthe lower portion thereof, by a closed loop conveyor 4 having pockets 5for picking up the individual tubes 3 one at a time. The conveyor 4 withpockets 5 slopes upwards toward the center of the machine and at thetop, ends level with a chute 6 into which are unloaded tubes 3 picked uphorizontally positioned by the conveyor 4 with pockets 5 from within thehopper 2.

The chute 6 slopes downwardly to the right from the upper end of thepocket conveyer 4 and at the bottom ends level with a cradle transferelement 7 that receives tubes 3 arriving individually from chute 6. Thecrade transfer element 7 has an horizontal reciprocating movement andtherefore is able to transfer positively in individual succession tubes3 to a clamping element 8. The clamping element 8, besides thesynchronized opening and closing movement of the jaws that grasp tubes 3horizontally from the cradle of the corresponding transfer element 7,has also a rotational alternating movement about a horizontal axis sothat it can insert vertically, obviously always individually, tubes 3with their open end upwards, within flexible gripping devices 9connected to conveying device 10, moving in a closed loop in ahorizontal plane in successive increments or steps, forming theprocessing line of the machine's filling section.

Along the processing line the tubes thus vertically set up with theiropen end upwards stop in succession at operating stations, for examplefor checking the presence of the closure cap and for tightening thiswith tightening device 11, for cleaning the tubes by means of a blowingand suction device 12, for centering the printing with the help ofmobile upper element 13 and rotary gripping device 14, and for ejectingdefective tubes by means of ejector 15 through a discharge duct 16 tothe back of the machine.

Along the processing line the tubes are stopped also in alignment withstations that fill them in two successive stages through their open endby means of elements 17 and 18 connected to a container 19 with thepaste product, sealing the end by means, for example, of folding andcrimping elements shown as an assembly 20, after flattening the terminalarea of the tubes that forms their end.

At this point, clamping elements 21 pick up the closed and sealed tubesfrom the processing line and transfers them into an appropriate box withits introduction opening facing upwards. In the specific embodimentshown in the drawings, the boxes 24 are set up with the introduction endopen, after picking up the blanks from a blank magazine 22. Afterfeeding and introduction of instruction leaflets in the boxes 24, thelatter are then transferred to the box closure line 23 of the machine'spackaging line along which the closure of the introduction opening takesplace.

The description of the filling-packaging machine in question withreference to the drawings obviously is given exclusively by way ofexample and evidently cannot be the subject of all those modificationsand variants suggested by experience.

I claim:
 1. A method for processing and packaging in boxes squeezablepreformed open-ended tubular containers for substantially viscous pasteproducts, comprising the steps of:(a) feeding said containerssuccessively in a horizontal position from a hopper along a transportpath traversed by each of said containers in turn to a first transferdevice located along said path; (b) positioning each of said containersvertically at said transfer device with the open end thereof facingupwardly; (c) inserting each of said containers vertically into arespective flexible gripping device with the open end of said containersfacing upwardly; (d) advancing said gripping devices with saidcontainers along said path in increments into registration with at leastone filling station located along said path for injecting said paste inturn into each of said containers through the open ends thereof; (e)further advancing said gripping devices with said filled containersalong said path in increments into registration with a folding andcrimping station located along said path for closing and sealing in turnthe open ends of said filled containers; (f) forming said boxes frompackaging blanks and positioning in turn each box along said path withan introduction opening thereof facing upwardly; (g) advancing saidsealed containers in increments along said path into registration with asecond transfer device located along said path for inserting in turneach of said sealed containers into a respective box through theintroduction opening thereof; and (h) closing in turn the respectiveintroduction opening of each of said boxes after the insertion thereinof a sealed container.
 2. The method defined in claim 1, comprisingafter step (c) the further steps of:checking for the presence of aclosure cap on each of said containers and tightening same; cleaningsaid containers; centering and rotating each of said containers in turnfor printing thereon; and detecting and ejecting in turn thosecontainers from said containers found to be defective.
 3. An apparatusfor processing and packaging in boxes squeezable preformed open-endedtubular containers for substantially viscous paste products,comprising:a hopper for holding a supply of said containers stored in ahorizontal position, said hopper being located along a transport path; afirst transfer device spaced from said hopper downstream along saidpath; means for feeding in individual succession each of said containersin turn from said hopper along said path to said first transfer device;clamping means at said first transfer device for positioning in turneach of said containers vertically with the open end thereof facingupwardly; at least one flexible gripping device mounted on a loopconveyer and displaceable in increments along said path, whereby saidflexible gripping device can be brought into registration with saidclamping means for inserting in turn each of said containers verticallyinto said flexible gripping device with the open end of the respectivecontainer facing upwardly; means for checking the presence andtightening of a closure cap on each of said containers located alongsaid path when said flexible gripping device is brought intoregistration with said means for cleaning; means for cleaning each ofsaid containers located along said path when said flexible grippingdevice is brought into registration with said means for cleaning; meansfor centering each of said containers for printing thereon located alongsaid path when said flexible gripping device is brought intoregistration with said means for centering; means for ejecting defectivecontainers located along said path when said flexible gripping device isbrought into registration with said means for ejecting; a fillingstation along said path for injecting said paste in at least one stagein turn into each of said containers through the open end thereof; afolding and crimping station along said path for closing and sealing inturn the open ends of each of said filled containers; means for formingsaid boxes from packaging blanks and positioning in turn each box alongsaid path with an introduction opening formed in each box facingupwardly; a second transfer device along said path at said positionedbox for engaging a closed and sealed end of a respective sealedcontainer in registration with said second transfer device, said secondtransfer device inserting said sealed container into said positioned boxthrough the introduction opening thereof; and means for closing theintroduction opening of each of said boxes after the insertion thereinof a sealed container.
 4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein theclosed and sealed ends of said containers are flat and said containersare inserted into respective boxes with the flat end of the containerlying parallel to two opposite sides of the respective box.
 5. Theapparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the closed and sealed ends of saidcontainers are flat and said conatiners are inserted into respectiveboxes with the flat end of the container lying along a diagonal of therespective box.
 6. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein said feedingmeans includes a loop conveyer formed with pockets for holdingindividual containers in a horizontal position.
 7. The apparatus definedin claim 3 wherein said first transfer device includes a cradle transferelement being reciprocatingly displaceable along said path from areceiving position in which a respective container is deposited intosaid cradle element from said feeding means to a removing position inwhich said clamping means removes the respective container from saidcradle element.
 8. The apparatus defined in claim 5 wherein said secondtransfer device includes a clamping element for engaging the closed andsealed ends of said containers.